Method of assembling insoles and back parts of shoes



Aug. 18, 1942. R. E. DUPLESS IS 2,293,245

METHOD OF ASSEMBLING INSOLES AND BACK PARTS OF SHOES Filed June 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l v OES Aug. 18, 1942 R. E. DUPLESSIS METHOD OF ASSEMBLING INSOLES AND BACK PARTS OF SH 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1941 i atented Au 18, 1942 METHOD OF ASSEMBLING INSOLES AND BACK PARTS OF SHOES I Rene E. Duplessis, Beverly, Mass., assignor to e United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 6, 1941, Serial No. 396,902

. 7 Claims. (o1.12 142) This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is illustrated herein with reference to improved methods of assembling insoles and premolded back parts of shoes.

In the manufacture of open shank shoes, for

example, it is common practice to mold a builtup back part of a shoe upper to its finished shape and thereafter to secure the back'part to an insole, which is attached to the bottom of, alast, by tacks and/or staples driven through the heel portion of the insole and a heel-seatflange of the back part. Insoles of .shoes vary in size and shape in accordance withthe sizes and shapes of the bottoms of lasts upon which the shoes are made and to which the insoles are commonly secured, as above stated, during the manufacture of the shoes. In order to reduce to a minimum the number of dies and molds used in'making the back parts, it is customary to incorporate I back parts of the same size, and shape in shoes of slightly different sizes and/ or styles.

In order that the back partgand the insole of the finished shoe shall merge gracefully .with

each other, it is desirable that the edge of the I insole shall be snugly engaged by the entire length of a base crease which is formed atthe inside of the back part between a heel-seat flange and an upstanding portion of the back part. Accordingly, since back parts of oneparticular size and shape are commonly attached to insoles of a variety of different sizes and styles, it will be appreciated that, preparatory to permanently securing the back parts to the insoles, the base or break line portions of the back parts should be conformed to the peripheral edges of the heel portions of the insoles. v v

It is common practice to position the back part upon, and to secure the same to, the insoleafter the insole has been tacked or otherwise secured to the bottom of the last, by inserting successively a plurality of 'fastenings arranged in the form of a letter U through the heel-seat flange of the back part and the margin of the heel portion of the insole. .Due to handling and stacking, the back part at the time it is assembled with the insole is commonly distorted to a considerable extent from its original premolded shape, and it is a rather slow and laborious task to flex the backopart to its proper registering position upon the insole tacked to the last because of the fact that the last extends to the edge'of the heel portion of the insole and fills to a considerable extent the inside of the back part. Such practice has thereforebeenfound to be timeconsuming and expensive. Moreover, it has been 55 found that when back parts and insoles have been assembled in accordance with the prior practice above referred to, the rear portions of the base creases of the back parts are frequently not .in their proper registering positions against the rear edges of the insoles, with the result that the finished shoes in which these parts are incorporated are not always exactly of the intended lengths.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method by the practice of which insoles and premolded back parts of shoes may be permanently assembled quicker and more accurately than has heretofore been possible. I

With the above object in view, the invention resides in an improvement in shoemaking which comprises holding together the opposite lateral edges of I a loose insole and the forward end portions of a U-shaped base crease, which is formed in a shoe back part between a heel-seat flange and an upstanding portion of the back part, while the remaining portion of said base crease is spaced a substantial distance from the insole and while the rear end of the insole is in approximate engagement with the rear inside face of the upstanding portion of the back part, crowding the edge of the heel portion of the insole along the inside face of the upstanding portion of the back part and then into the remaining portion of the base crease of the back part to conform the base portion of the back part'to an outline similar to that of the heel portion of the insole, and permanently securing together the margin of the heel portion of the insole and the heel-seat flange of the back part while the edge of the heel portion of the insole is snugly forced against approximately the entire base crease of the back part. i v

The method may be advantageously practiced by the use of machines such as disclosed in applications for United States Letters Patent Serial Nos. 396,900 and 396,901 filed June 6, 1941, in

my name.

By practicing the above method, back parts of a particular size and shape can be assembled with insoles of different sizes and/or shapes quicker and more effectively than has heretofore been :possible, the base portions of the back parts during the "assembling operation being conformed to outlines approximately the same 'as those of the heel portions of insoles with which they are assembled and the entire base crease of each; of the back parts being in snug engagement with the edge of the heel portion of its associated insole, thereby insuring that the assembled insoles and back parts shall merge attractively with each other and that the lengths of the insides of the finished shoes in which the assembled insoles and back parts are incorporated shall be equal to the lengths of the insoles.

The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an insole;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a shoe back part which is to be assembled with the insole of Fig. 1 in accordance with the method disclosed herein;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in longitudinal section, showing the insole and the back part being assembled by the use of the device disclosed in the above-mentioned application Serial No. 396,900;

Fig. 4 is an angular view of the insole and the back part being assembled by the use of the device illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the back part and the insole after they have been stapled together by the use of the machine disclosed in said application Serial No. 396,900;

Fig. 6 shows in section the insole and the back part of Fig. 5 in the process of being permanently secured together by the use of a machine similar to that disclosed in the above-mentioned application Serial No. 396,901;

Fig. 7 shows in perspective the insole and the back part after they have been permanently secured together by the use of the machine shown in Fig. 6;

Figs. 8 and 9 are front views of clamping mechanism which is incorporated in the machine disclosed in application Serial No. 396,901, for holding the insole and the back part in predetermined positions with relation to each other, in place of staples, during the permanent securing together of the back part and the insole; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a shoe in which the assembled insole and back part have been incorporated.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the attachment of a prefinished heel part or back part to a loose insole 22 in the manufacture of an open shank shoe 24 (Fig. 10).

The insole 22 comprises a fiber blank 25 (Fig. 1), a reinforcing shank and heel piece 23 cemented and/or stapled to the blank, and a binding strip of leather or fabric which is wrapped around and sewed to the margins of the assembled blank and reinforcing piece. If desirable, a one-piece leather insole (not shown) the exposed edge of which has been burnished or otherwise finished may be used in place of the built-up insole 22.

The prefinished back part 20 comprises a stiff counter 32 (Fig. 2), a heavy leather outer 34, and a thin leather lining 36, these members being cemented and/or sewed together while flat and afterwards being molded to provide an upstanding portion 38 which, in the finished shoe, surrounds the heel of the wearer, and a heel-seat or base flange 40 which, as will appear later, is secured to the heel portion of the insole 22 by staples 42 (Figs. 5 and '7) and tacks 44 (Fig. 7). Formed at the inside of the back part 20 at the intersection of the upstanding portion 38 and the heel-seat flange 40 is a well-defined U-shaped base crease 45 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) which may be described as lying approximately in a plane and being arranged opposite a U-shaped break line 48 (Figs. 3 and 7) at the outside of the back part.

As above stated, the insole 22 has an outline corresponding exactly to the outline of the bottom of a last (not shown) used in making the shoe 24. The bottoms of lasts vary in shape in accordance with the styles of shoes to be constructed thereon and each style of last is commonly graduated in half sizes. In order to reduce to a minimum the number of dies and molds used in making the back parts 20, it is common practice to incorporate back parts of the same size and shape in the manufacture of two or more consecutive sizes of one style or a somewhat similar but different style of shoe.

In the manufacture of open shank shoes 24 it is desirable that the entire base crease 45 shall be conformed to and shall be permanently held snugly in engagement with the edge 50 of the heel portion of the insole 22 with the result that in the finished shoe the outer base or break line portion of the back part of the shoe shall have approximately the same outline as that of the heel portion of the insole and shall blend attractively with the insole, the break line 48 of the back part 20 being approximately continuous with the lateral edges of the shank portion of the insole. As above explained, it has been found that, due to handling, the back parts 20 are usually distorted somewhat between the time they are molded and the time they are ready to be attached to the insole. Accordingly, the operator, in assembling the back part with the insole, usually has to move the lateral or wing portions of the back part toward one another and also to cause one wing to be shifted lengthwise of the insole with relation to the other so as to bring the forward ends of the base crease 45 into engagement with the opposite lateral edges of the insole and directly opposite each other.

It has been found that the back part 20 can be positioned more quickly and accurately upon a loose insole than upon an insole tacked to a last, since the presence of the last inside the back part tends to interfere with the arranging of the back part in its proper position upon the insole.

In practicing the hereinafter described method, the base crease 45 of the back part is forced snugly into engagement with the edge 50 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) of the heel portion of the insole, the base or break line portion of the back part during such time being conformed to an outline practically the same as that of the edge 59. It will be appreciated that during the above operation it is highly desirable to conform the back part 20 to the heel portion of the insole 22 since, as above explained, back parts of the same size and shape are used in the construction of several different sizes and styles of shoes.

The back part 20 may be advantageously positioned upon and preliminarily secured to the insole 22 by the use of a fastening inserting machine such as disclosed in said application Serial No. 396,900 and which comprises a suitable fastening driving unit 52 (Fig. 3) and an insole supporting plate 54 which is mounted upon a fulcrum pin 55 carried by a turret 56 and above the rear end of which are disposed a pair of abutments or gages 58. The heel portion of the insole is placed bottom up on the plate 54, as illustrated in Fig. 3, with its rear end in engagement with the abutments 58. As fully disclosed in such application, the abutments 58 are secured to the turret, and the plate 54, the forward end of which is mounted upon the fulcrum pin 55, is normally forced against the upper face of the turret by a leaf -spring-59 operating against-a butis mounted foradjustmentupon the turret 56 in -directions extending lengthwise of the insole are abutments or gages 60 having edges 62 which are arrangedabove and slightly forward of the-corresponding abutments 58. a After placing the :insole 22 upon the plate 54 as above described, the operator positions the back part 20 bottom up upon the heel end of the insole, as shown in Fig. 3, the rear portion of the base crease 46 of the back part-being brought intoregistry with the upper edges 62 of the abutments 60. In assembling the insole 22 and the backrpart 20 by the use of the machine, the operator usually positions the heel portion of the insoleupon the plate by forcing, with his right hand; the heel end of the insole mounted upon the plate 54 against the abutments 58 and positions the back part 20 with relation to the insoleby pressing the back part downwardly and forwardly over the insole with his left hand until the: rear' portion of the base crease 46 engages the upper edges 62 of the abutments 60 and the forward .ends of the base crease 46- of the back part are forced against opposite lateral edges of the insole. It will be noted that in positioning the back part20 with relation to the insole 22 as above describe-done of the wings of the back part can be readily shifted by the operator lengthwise of the insole, with relation to the other so as to ,bring the forward ends of the heel-seat flange 40 directly opposite'each other. During" this stage oil-the assembling of the back part and the insole, the rear end: of theinsole is usually in approximate engagement with the inside. face of the upstanding portion of the back part; The term -"approximate engagement is intended to include a condition where the-rear "end of the insole-is in actual engagement with the upstanding portion of the back part: 1

,a Since the upper edges 52 of the abutments 60 are spaced a substantial distance above the bottom face (that is, the upper face in Fig. 3,) of the heel portion of the insole 22 positioned upon the plate 54, it will be appreciated that a general plane in which the U-shaped base crease 46 lies is inclined at a slight angle 64 (Fig. 3) to a general plane of the heel end portion of the insole. .The angle 64 may be varied by initially tilting the plate. 54 to a predetermined operative position about the fulcrum pin 55 with relation tothe abutments 60 or by providing abutments 60 which extend greater or lesser distances Labove the plate 54.

After, positioning the insole 22 and the back part 20 as above described, the operator turns the turret 58, together with the positioned insole and backpart, about an axis 66 until one forward end-of the heel-seat flange 40 of the back part is located'directly below a nozzle 68 of the fastening inserting unit 52 and above a fixed fastening clenching anvil l0. Mechanism (not shown) is then operated to drive one or morefastenings,

such, for example; as the staples 42, through one "tioned' insole 22' and the back part 20 mounted thereon, is then turned in an opposite direction about the axis 66 to a position in which one or more. staples 42 are driven through the other forward end'of the heel-seat flange 40 of the rback part, 26 and through the insole 22. The

turret- 5 6},"together with theinsole 22 and the back-part is then slid to the left, as viewed movement being tilted through suitable mechanism (not shown) in a "clockwise direction about the fulcrum pin 55-soas to cause the rear end of the plate-54 to be 'raised above the upper edges 62 ofthe abutments 60, thus facilitating the removal of the assembled insole and back part from the machine;

Referring to Figs. 3 and 5,it will be noted that, after the insole 22 and the back'part 20 have been assembled as' above described, the forward portions of the basecrease 46 of the: back part snugly engage the'opposite lateraledges of the insole and are disposed directly opposite each other. 'It will alsobe noted'that at this time the-remaining portion of the base crease 46 is slightly oifsetinwardly, as indicated by the reference numeral 12, from an adjacent edge of the heel-seat portion of the insolefthe arrangement being such that when the heel portion of the insole is forced with considerable pressure against the entire inside face"'l4 'of'the heel-seat flange 40, as'will appear laterj'the base portion of the back part (that is, the portion of the back part in'the vicinity of the break line 48) is displaced outwardly by pressure ofthe edge 50 of the heel portion of the insole against the inside face of the upstanding portion 38 of the back part, thezedge of the heel portion of the-insole being finally forced into snug engagement with the base crease '46. During the aboveoperation; thebase crease ly and effectively forc'edagainst-'theinside face of the heel-seatfla-nge 40 by the use of the machine 'disclosed insaid application Serial No. 396,901, such. machine comprising a jack 16 adapted to carry a metal 'form 18 having a sole engaging face BOJArran'ged above the form 18 are a pa'ir of abutment plates 8| which are secured by screws, (not shown) to carriers 82 and which 'for m'b et'ween thema U-shaped opening 84, the plates being pivotally adjustable to vary the'witlth of the U-Shap'ed opening." Surrounding theform l8 'is a U-sh'aped leather heel band 86 which is suppOrted bystirrupS 88 and is operated by a plurality of presser members 9!].

The assembled insoleand back'part are positioned upon the form 18 when the jack is in its forwardinoperative position. 'The jack is then swun e rwef fl r (t a s aw m the erator) by meansof treadleQQperated mechanism (not shown) to force thelrear end of the back part'mountedjpn the form against the rear or bight portion of the heelband and then to raise sole ,ZiZito bepressed against each other, as above described. r Aone-revQluti nclutch (not shown) tripped, with the result that. the back part-304s furtherforced by mechanical pressure lagainst zthebight portion of the heel band as, and

the iack'is raised. by mechanical pressure so as to clamp the insole 2-2with considerable pressureflag'ainstythe. inside -face-14 of the heel-seat flange: 40-ofthe back part and thus to force the ,edgej fifl of ther heelportion:- of the insole snugly against-thej;Ueshapedrbasei crease; 46 of the back part. The heel band 86 isthen closed around the back part 20 and a U-shaped line of tacks 44, which pass through tack openings 92 in the abutments 8|, is driven through the heel-seat flange 40 and the insole 22 permanently to secure the back part to the insole, the tacks being clenched against the metal form 18.

Although applicants method has been described with reference to securing permanently the back parts 20 and the insoles 22 by staples 42, as above described, applicant contemplates practicing his method by temporarily holding together the back part and the insole in the relation above described by the provision of clamps 94, for example, such as disclosed in detail in said application Serial No. 396,901 and comprising resilient pads 96 shaped and arranged to force the forward ends of the base crease 46 of the back part 20 against the opposite lateral edges of the insole 22 mounted upon the form, as shown in Fig. 8, and a pair of presser plates 98 associated with corresponding pads for thereafter forcing the forward ends of the heel-seat flange 40 of the back part against opposite marginal portions of the insole. As disclosed in said application Serial No. 396,901, the clamps may be associated with the jack l6 and serve to retain the insole and the back part in the abovedescribed relation while the machine forces the heel portion of the insole 22 against the entire inside face 14 of the heel-seat flange 40 of the back part 20 and drives the U-shaped line of tacks through the insole and the heel-seat flange.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a shoe back part 20, applicant contemplates attaching a premolded shoe back part, which forms part of a shoe upper, to loose insoles by practicing the above method.

It will be appreciated that, when insoles and back parts are assembled by the use of mechanism such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, there may be a very slight lengthwise slippage between the insole and the back part preparatory to forcing the heel portion of the insole against the inside face I4 of the heel-seat flange of the back part.

When the insole and the back part are assembled by the use of the machine illustrated in Fig. 3, there is usually sufficient lengthwise slippage between the insole and the back part to cause a slight strain to be exerted upon the staples. This I strain is seldom excessive, however, since the back part is accurately located on the insole by the device shown in Fig. 3 before being attached to the insole by the staples.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises holding together the opposite lateral edges of an insole and the forward end portions of a U-shaped base crease formed in a shoe back part While th'e remaining portion of said base crease is spaced a substantial distance from the insole and the rear end of the insole is in approximate engagement with the rear inside face of an upstanding portion of said back part, crowding the edge of the heel portion of the insole along the inside face of said upstanding portion of the back part and then into said remaining portion of the base crease to conform the base portion of the back part to the outline of the heel portion of the insole, and permanently securing together the margin of the heel portion of the insole and a heel-seat flange of the back part while the edge of the heel portion of the insole is snugly forced into approximately the entire base crease of the back part.

2. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises holding together the opposite lateral edges of an insole and the forward end portions of a base crease of a shoe back part while the rear end of the insole is spaced a substantial distance from the rear end of said base crease and is in approximate engagement with the rear inside face of an upstanding portion of the back part, causing the margin of the heel portion of the insole and practically the entire inside face of a heel-seat flange of said back part to be forced together while holding the forward end portions of the base crease and said opposite lateral edges of the insole together, and permanently securing together the margin of the heel portion of the insole and the heel-seat flange of the back part in their forced-together relation.

3. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises holding together the forward ends of a heel-seat flange of a premolded shoe back part and the opposite lateral margins of an insole while a rearward portion of the heelseat flange is spaced from the insole and the rear end of the insole is in approximate engagement with the rear inside face of an upstanding portion of said back part, causing said rearward portion of the heel-seat flange of the back part to seat on the insole while said forward ends of the flange and said opposite lateral portions of the insole are held together, and thereafter securing said rearward portion of said heel-seat flange seated upon the margin of the heel portion of the insole to the insole.

4. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises securing the forward ends of a heel-seat flange of a premolded shoe back part to opposite lateral margins of the forward end of the heel portion of a loose insole While the rearward part of said heel portion of the insole is spaced from said heel-seat flange and the rear end of said insole is in approximate engagement with the rear end of an upstanding portion of the back part, thereafter forcing the heel portion of the insole with considerable pressure against the entire inside face of the heel-seat flange of the back part thereby conforming a break line portion of the back part to a predetermined outline in accordance with the outline of the heel portion of the insole, and, while the insole and the back part are thus forced together, driving a plurality of fastenings through the insole and the heel-seat flange of the back part in order permanently to secure the insole and the back part together.

5. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises securing the forward ends of a heel-seat flange of a shoe back part to a loose insole while the rear end of said insole is in engagement with the rear inside face of an upstanding portion of the shoe back part and while the heel portion of the insole is inclined lengthwise to a general plane defined by a U-shaped base crease formed in the back part between the heel-seat flange and the upstanding portion of the back part, forcing the edge of the heel portion of the insole against the entire U-shaped crease of the back part thereby conforming the base portion of the back to an outline similar to that of the edge of the heel portion of the insole, and, while the insole and back part are thus forced together, driving a U-shaped row of fastenings through the insole and the heel-seat flange of the back part to secure permanently together the back part and the insole.

6. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises securing the forward end portions of a heel-seat flange of a premolded shoe back part to opposite lateral margins of an insole while forward portions of a base crease formed between the heel-seat flange and an upstanding portion of the back part are in engagement with opposite lateral edges of the insole and the heel portion of the insole is inclined lengthwise to the heel-seat flange of the back part and has its rear end spaced a substantial distance from said flange and in approximate engagement with said upstanding portion of the back part, causing the entire inside face of said heel-seat flange of the back part to be clamped against the margin of the heel portion of the insole and the edge of the heel portion of the insole to be forced snugly into substantially the entire base crease of the back part thereby conforming a break line portion of the back part to the outline of the heel portion of the insole, and, while the insole and back part, are thus clamped together, driving through the insole and the heelseat flange of the back part a U-shaped line of fastenings thereby permanently securing together the insole and the back part.

7. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which comprises positioning a premolded shoe back part upon a loose insole with the forward ends of a base crease, which is formed in the back part between a heel-seat flange and an upstanding portion of the back part, in engagement with the opposite lateral edges of the insole and the heel end of the insole spaced a substantial distance from the base crease and in approximate engagement with a rear inside face of said upstanding portion of the back part, securing the forward ends of said base crease of the back part against any substantial movement with relation to the insole, forcing the edge of the heel portion of the insole so held snugly against the remaining portions of the base crease of the back part to conform a break line portion of the back part to an outline similar to that of the heel portion of the insole, and, While the insole and the back part are thus forced together, securing the insole to the back part by a plurality of fastenings driven through the insole and the heelseat flange of the back part.

RENE E. DUPLESSIS. 

